Can Microwave Dinners Be Cooked In An Air Fryer?

When it comes to the culinary world, few eras heralded more change and experimentation than the 1950s. Scientific innovations in food preservation techniques like canning, freezing, and dehydration made food accessible and affordable not only for the home cook, but also for food production companies. Grocery stores soon flooded with a wide array of convenience-style groceries that gave rise to plenty of tasty vintage foods that deserve our attention — one of these being the frozen TV dinner. 

Though the TV dinner's origins are somewhat murky, we know for certain they were all the rage throughout the 1950s and for several decades afterward. However, part of the nostalgia of these prepackaged meals is acknowledging that convenience was the main — if not only — draw, as they have a reputation for being low-quality and pretty tasteless. Fortunately, today's versions focus a touch more on nutrition and quality, and any lack of flavor is easily overcome by popping your frozen meal into the air fryer. 

Air fryers are well known not only for producing golden tater tots and succulent proteins (air-fried roast beef is particularly delicious), but also for quite literally improving the taste of your food. A sharp blast of convection heat will help crisp up the outside of your meatloaf while locking in moisture, revive limp steamed broccoli, and give mashed potatoes a crunchy outer shell. The only downside is that most TV dinners come in plastic trays, so you'll need to do a little bit of prep to make it air-fryer friendly and safe — but that won't take long.

If your favorite TV dinners come in an oven-safe aluminum tray, you can drop them into your air fryer as-is, as long as the tray fits easily into the basket. Just keep in mind that the tray will be hot when your meal is ready, so you may need tongs or an oven mitt to retrieve it without burning yourself. It's also smart to plop it onto a heat-proof plate to make it easier to transport to your sofa. 

If your frozen dinner is packaged in paper or plastic, you'll need to decant it into an air fryer-safe container before heating it. These appliances often come with inserts and trays that'd be suitable, or you can use a small metal baking tin or even a ceramic baking dish. Using a fork or small spatula, simply pop the frozen foods out of the sections of the tray and arrange them inside your chosen vessel while your air fryer preheats. 

Generally speaking, cooking for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit will be perfect for air frying most TV dinners. However, before you dig in, be sure to check each component of your meal to ensure it's heated through. Additionally, if your meal comes with a dessert, consider heating it separately to avoid tomato gravy soaking into your apple hand pie. This is also an opportunity to customize your frozen meal by sprinkling cheddar cheese on mashed potatoes or spreading zesty pesto on your chicken cutlet.